Cynder lazily blinked her emerald eyes open, sighing sleepily.

She lay comfortably in a large bed, snuggled up to Spyro, who was still in deep sleep. The purple dragon barely stirred as Cynder crawled out from under his wing and stepped onto the cold floor.

Quietly, she slipped out their bedroom door, leaving it unlatched but closed over. She then strolled across the walkway, stretching her wings as she walked.

It was very early in the morning, the moon only beginning its slow descent. It wasn't unusual for her to be up this early, it had become somewhat of a habit.

She walked to her usual spot, a small balcony at the half way point of the walkway, and sighed quietly.

Part of her was still in disbelief at how her life now was, such a dramatic change from years ago.

Before she was alone, lost and misguided. She was turned into a heartless monster, and acted as such.

There were many things she had done that haunted her to this day. She wished desperately that she could change what she had done.

But she had come to peace, knowing that doing good would make up for her years of evil. Spyro helped her move past her dark years and become the happy young dragoness she was.

Across the realm, a lone dragon watched the skies thoughtfully. He hadn't seen the stars so bright for years. When the Dark Master ruled the realm, the skies were always gloomy and cloudy, and in his absence they were now clear, allowing the moonlight to once again illuminate the land.

He sighed softly, remembering he had a job to do, an important one at that. The ruins of the Dragon Temple, leftover from the Dark Master's rule, were used to store and contain powerful artifacts.

Many of them were small, seemingly everyday objects, but all held a dangerous amount of power, and could easily cause serious damage in the wrongs hands.

The ruins were the safest place for them to be kept and guarded during Malefor's rule, but now that he was gone it was decided to move them to a vault in Warfang, where the new Temple was being constructed.

A small group of Dragons and a few Moles had been sent to pack up and transport the artifacts to their destination, and were in the middle of loading two large wooden wagons wit the power-charged objects.

On his way back to continue his work, the Dragon noticed an unfamiliar Dragoness wondering the halls as well. She smiled awkwardly when she saw him, seeming to know she had no business being there.

The moonlight shimmered on her ruby red scales, her crimson eyes met his as she chuckled softly.

"Sorry, I think I'm a bit lost." She said. For a moment, her eyes seemed to emanate a dim red glow.

"No trouble." The Dragon replied kindly, "Were you heading to Warfang?" he asked.

"Yeah, how'd you guess?" the Red Dragoness answered with a smile.

H

"That's where everyone's going. Word's gotten around I guess..." he replied, noticing again a dim glow in her eyes.

At the same time, a slight headache came over him, accompanied by a dizzying feeling. He tried to speak, but found he was unable to.

The Dragoness didn't react to his change in behavior, but stood watching in silence for a moment before speaking again.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it isn't wise to wonder through the dark alone?" she said cryptically as she slowly crept up to him.

Every instinct he had was fighting to move him, but he remained standing still, like he was frozen in place. The headache spread and intensified, as he tried desperately to utter the smallest of words, to no avail.

"Don't fight it dear," she whispered, "It'll only make it worse for you."

His vision became a blur as she approached him. He gasped and groaned in his attempts to cry for help.

The dragoness reached up and gently stroked the side of his face, almost feeling sorry for him. Almost.

The dragon's suffering finally ended with a sharp pain in his chest, as she stabbed him with a dagger and allowed him to collapse.

She then twirled her dagger in her paw as she stepped over her victim and continued down the hallway, soon coming to a small room where two Dragons and a mole were packing up a crate.

No sooner than the Dragons turned and noticed her, the shadows cast on the marble floor shifted, lunging into two spikes that stabbed the dragons, disappearing as they fell limp.

The mole made a run for the exit, not getting far before the dragoness threw her dagger at him, the blade piercing his neck.

As she retrieved her weapon, a jet-black dragon emerged from the shadows, walking to the middle of the room.

"You're late." The Dragoness said to him.

"You left early." He replied, peering into the crate that was being packed.

"Think it's still here?" The Dragoness questioned, investigating the shelves of strange objects.

"It has to be. Everything else is." He answered, scanning the room.

The Dragoness watched the night sky while the Dragon searched the room, turning up with nothing of true value.

Soon, the moonlight that had illuminated the room faded away, leaving them in pitch darkness. An airborne Ship hovered over the ruins, the Dragoness looking to her partner.

"Time to go. They're here." She said seriously.

The Dragon sighed in frustration. "Damned vultures..." he muttered. "Let's go, it's not here anyway."

He turned and left, the Dragoness turning to follow. She stopped when she noticed a round crystal, slightly bigger than her paw, tucked in the corner.

She quickly picked it up and followed the Dragon, unaware of the power that surged through her new-found possession.